Finland legend Jonatan Johansson has heaped praise on compatriot and Rangers striker Glen Kamara for his impact at Ibrox and for the national team.
Kamara – who was signed for £50,000 from Dundee in January 2019 – played 10 Scottish Premiership games for Steven Gerrard’s side and asserted himself well in a defensive midfield role.
The 23-year-old followed up his first half-season at Rangers by being called up for Finland’s Euro 2020 qualifiers against Boznia and Herzogovina last Saturday and Liechenstein on Tuesday evening.
Speaking to the Glasgow Evening Times, former Gers striker Johansson, who was recently inducted into Finland’s Hall of Fame for his 106 caps, said he has been impressed by Kamara’s impact thus far.
“There is no doubt that it was a bit of shrewd business from Rangers getting him from Dundee and I think his time there was really valuable for him,” Johansson said.
“He had a good qualification at Arsenal and then he went to Dundee and was able to play passing football, which suited him really well.
“He got first team football, got used to the physical side of it, and I am obviously really pleased with how he has started at Rangers. He has got a place in the starting line-up early, and deservedly so.
“It is the same with the national team. He came in and did well and he has grown there in terms of his confidence and he is a main player now. Finland look to play out from the back and pass the ball and that suits him because he sees a lot of the ball.”
OPINION
Johansson is exactly right with these comments: Kamara has had a fantastic impact for Rangers since he moved to Ibrox in January. He has come in and done a very good job in the defensive midfield role, and £50,000 now looks like a real snip for a player of his quality. The fact that he is only 23 makes the deal even better too; Kamara has shown real promise in his first small stint at Rangers, but the truth is, there could be a lot more to come from the midfielder. And that is sure to excite Rangers fans. There has been quite a reliance on loan spells for Gerrard at Ibrox so far, with the likes of Joe Worrall and Ryan Kent moving back to their parent clubs in recent weeks. But Kamara has got to be one of the best permanent signings the Gers boss has made in his time at the helm.